Category: Convention or Meet

By Ed Liesse (PNR) & Jim Providenza (PCR), Convention Co-Chairs

This is the last week for Early Bird registration for SIskiyou Summit 2012, the joint PNR – PCR Regional Convention which will be held in Medford, OR, May 2-5, 2012. The Early Bird registration special rate of $45 is available only through November 30, 2011. Starting December 1st, the full-fare registration increases to $55. You can register online, reserve a hotel room, and check out early information on clinics and tours at http://www.pcrnmra.org/conv2012/

Ed Liesse & Jim Providenza, Co-Chairs

Mark your calendars now for May 2–5, 2012 and plan to spend those days in Medford, Oregon at the Medford Red Lion Hotel attending the first Joint Convention between PNR and PCR! This one has all the indications of being a convention to remember. Don’t be left out!

The Joint Convention Committee is putting together many activities to keep you busy. The PCR and PNR Boards of Directors will have their respective board and business meetings on Wednesday and Friday morning. Convention attendees will enjoy an ice cream social on Wednesday night. A series of high-quality clinics begin Wednesday afternoon and run through Saturday afternoon with a special LDSIG/OPSIG clinic track on Thursday. An editor from Model Railroader and Bill Schaumburg of Railroad Model Craftsman are two of the many clinicians scheduled. There will be two evenings of operations on the Rogue Valley Model Railroad Club.

Siskiyou Summit 1012 will provide both a contest and separate AP assessment. Saturday morning will offer the Hobo Breakfast. Throughout the period, Sidetracks (previously known as “Non-Rails”) will have their usual bevy of activities to keep everyone busy. We will wrap up with the banquet on Saturday night.

A special event on Thursday will be a day excursion to Train Mountain www.trainmountain.org, a 2200-acre model railroad with 7.5” gauge track and more than 20 miles of mainline track. During the week, tours of Micro-Trains will be available and possibly a few tours of Campbell Scale Models.

On Saturday afternoon Siskiyou Summit 1012 attendees will have the run of Medford Railroad Park soc-nrhs.org/medfordrrpark.htm, operated by the Southern Oregon Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, the Morse Telegraph Club, the Rogue Valley Model Railroad Club, the Southern Oregon Live Steamers, and the Southwest Oregon Large Scale Trains group. All the above groups will have personnel on hand to show off their displays and let you take part in some of their activities. In addition to all the rail-related activities, there are a number of places in and around Medford to visit, many of historical interest. And Ashland, home of the well-known Shakespeare Festival, is just down the road.

All this is available to you for the low “early bird” registration price of only $45. We also have a low hotel room rate of $82/night double, with add-on days before and after the convention at the same rate.

The Siskiyou Summit 1012 website is up and running at pcrnmra.org/conv2012. Take a look now and watch for added items as the schedule fills up.

We plan to see you in Medford!

Photos by Doug Bulger

Here are a few photos from the drop dead gorgeous dioramas seen in the contest room.

Photos by Doug Bulger

Three select images from the Lone Pine and Tonopah Railroad.

Photos by Doug Bulger

Three select images from the Yosemite Valley Railroad by Jack Burgess.

Ed Liesse, 2012 PNR/PCR Joint Convention Chair

In case you haven’t seen it on the PNR web page, the 2012 Joint PNR/PCR Convention will be May 2 – 5, 2012 in Medford, OR. More information is here. While the full schedule of events is not completed yet, the committee is working toward that goal. Committee members are from both PNR and PCR and several of the PCR members are still working on the X2011West National Convention in Sacramento from July 3 – 9. If you haven’t registered for the closest National to the 4th Division in a long while, you still have time.

Help spread the word in the PNR about the Medford Joint Convention. Register now on the website. Early bird registration is only $45 through October 31. We certainly want to have more attendees than PCR!

Al Lowe

The Tacoma Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society will host the NRHS’s annual convention Cascade Rails 2011 this June 20 – 26 in Tacoma, WA. Special events will include Chehalis steam, S.P. 4449 steam, Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad steam, trolleys, electric buses, geared locomotives, rod locomotives, first and second generation diesels, major intermodal operations, historic railroad structures, and more!

They have a 40-page program available for download, so there will be loads to do. The 4^th Division is honored to have this major convention. Learn more at their website, CascadeRails2011.com.

Al Lowe

Our “local” Regional Convention has recently received some YouTube mentions. Model Railroad Hobbyist interviewed local modeler (and model display case builder) Bob Rorabaugh on his diorama. See it by clicking the image below.

Charles Jackson of H&J Trains was interviewed about his new scenery business. They have a line of inexpensive flock and tree armatures. They offer over 75 colors of flock! He demonstrates how to make a conifer on their tree-making machine, also available for sale.

While you’re there, subscribe to MRH’s YouTube channel and they’ll send you an email whenever they post a new video.